Azerbaijan: Recently released prisoner of conscience sentenced to another month in jail

NIDA civic movement member Bayram Mammadov has been sentenced to 30 days in prison for ‘disobeying the order of a police officer’.

Mammadov was only let out of prison on amnesty in mid-March, after being sentenced to a 10-year term.

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In 2016, activists Bayram Mammadov and Qiyas Ibrahimov were sentenced to 10 years each on charges of drug trafficking.

Immediately prior, they had written anti-government slogans on the pedestal of a monument to Heydar Aliyev, the ex-president of Azerbaijan and father of the current president.

Amnesty International recognized them as prisoners of conscience.

Both were released on 16 March 2019 as part of a pardon of 399 people, among whom were about 50 political prisoners.

Mammadov was detained on 30 March in the afternoon right on the street.

His lawyer, Elchin Sadiqov, confirmed that he was detained and announced that he intended to file an appeal.

Immediately after his release, Mammadov announced that he would fight for the freedom of all political prisoners. He also sharply criticized the authorities on social media.

NIDA member Samir Asadli links his arrest to his post-prison activity:

“After the release of Bayram, he was called to the police several times. And just the day before, in an interview, he criticized the prison system and said that, knowing the consequences, he would once again go to the monument of Heydar Aliyev. This could be a catalyst for his arrest,” Asadli told Caucasian Knot.

Elshan Hasanov, a representative from the Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan, also believes that Mammadov was arrested on trumped-up charges. He believes that the arrest may be a warning to other activists.